Method of planting



July 11, 1950 P..C. MQLEMORE ma'mon 0F PLANTING,

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 17, 1945 INVENTOR.

- fiz'ce C-jfcZemor July 11, 1950 P. c. MCLEMORE METHOD O PLANTING 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 17, 1945 fizce CMclemare.

\tQMQ 3Q A2 m,

-P. c. MCLEMORE METHOD OF PLANTING.

. Jul 11, 1950" 5 Sheets-sheaf 3 Filed Aug. 17, 1945 nuenzor Price Ciflfclemore Wm-m July 11, 1950 P. c. MGLEMORE. 2,514,890

mamon 0F PLANTING Filed Aug. 17, 1945 5 Sheets- Sheet 4 July 11, 1950 P. c. MOLEMORE METHOD OF PLANTING 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 17, 1945 f'zz/enior: firt'ce C/Hclemore Patented July 111 1950' r; is

MELTHQD oFmLANmI-NG @Price 0. 'McLemore, Montgomery Ala. l-Application August 17, 1945, SeriailNb. :6l0,963

.1 "Claim. 1

My present invention 'yrelates; to i an I improvemnentzin-za vmethod of planting.

ltdsxknown thatwwhenground isplowed that aztheasoilvisxinfestedrto the jdepth of the plow sole -.w-ith :a collection :of aweed seeds which have accumulat'ed on-the l rollnd surfaca prior to, plowing, :and alargenumber of these weeds 1 near the surface :willmthereafter proceed to germinate. ilfhus, :in the eplowi ng and :harrowing of ground :zpreparatoryrto planting andalso in subsequent .lmechanical cultivation of thefground after the tplantsahave startedlto'rgrow weed seeds are unzxwitting'ly:conditioned to germinate to the detri- :ment 'ofwtheficrop being raised. In any Patent 2N0.) 123273204, edatedgAugnst :17, 1943, IV have; dis- (ICIQSGd a method of flame cultivating crops which favdidsithis nsundesirablesfeatnre of mechanically zstirring .up thergroundwfor cultivation 1 purposes.

iI-Iovvever, theaafurther undesirable :feature-of the rconditioning' ofcweed seeds byplowing of a-ifield ;.preparatory to planting still remains.

It is anobject of my presentinvention-to provide a method of planting in which Weedseeds :g'placed in; a ,zone 1 of germinating environment as :Iby plowing of.'the groundnare caused to be ren- 25 weeks sinc -idered substantially.ineffective.

I propose to accomplish the aforesaidgobject 'by ifirstcconditionin r a ;=.field for an 1 agricultural croprgrown' from: seed byviplowing thef ield broadnoxious vegetatiomsnch as thegrasses are hardy .that by :planting time theyhaye hegun tosprout. iIn the normalnplantingytime of cotton, for eggam p1e,:isuch volunteer m, obnoxiousvegetation will :usually beginto appear-aboutfrom six Weeks to vz .duringthe interval: between, the timeethe volunsteer vegetationbegins to appear andI-the time for iplanting. This flaming of the; fieldmay; be. ac-

,tzico'mplished with the;; apparatus disclosed inv my "aforesaid. patent or--my-Batent No. 2,369,154,

. 'Jtdated February 11,3, 19A5,a or any; pther suitable qapparatus for bathing the gronnd in; flames of 1: sufiicient intensity: and length oftimefto effect 50 form destruction of :the. :growing: weeds. {Ilhis flaming :xzof thBTgI'OUHdtShQl-lld be :acco mplished w ith the a leastpossible disturbance tothe soil so;-thatother vweed: seeds are;"nt.:p1aced;insa position to-erow.

' 'lheunumberwofi timesisfiamina is-inece a y is Mafia-gin; fiel s rem in n :angina wn eubei nt ll e 5 iQ-i 'fts ie 45 .of invention after the. plowm an w e ei-eleei Peml -Q w 'n red inqfq s amp e he' tu ned se l to (anne es) zlargelyidese dee renlfi e fn KiP iveseta iqn ere entzl i apidity o tssmwtnjah 1 h S0i1; n f v e i felli ma ar -ire nftthi mailmoved or destroyed loy;- nglprior. t the line the @13 1 ca leele ,h h pared is now ready for planting ,of fthe. crop seed,

'palirth'abenefit of the prior M-fiame't atrnent f the field itisdesir alole to -elffect the glarr 1 rof -thejcrop seedslwith the ;least amount of disturbance to, the soil smthat v "d seeds are.bronghtjto aione invwh e the ma m nat .75 al h re e p lm nr rowers to lan hairy vetch, Austrian, peas, (etc, .in thenf ja ll and them under in therspringlpriortouplante b da l tm th le -F re 23 are;

volnntee ,yeg etation will i in most sun; anpearibe r gp antin icas ehe flu th it??? mediately after helrcrop s glshavebeenplanted and at'interva ma he bathed in I flames caistihand cleaving.aitaasslfiatnas possible. Such or desiredj nntil.such., me as the crop seeds xplowingzinamost;cli-matesais 'normally done in the 'd-allsor earlyawinter season. phAsfter such initial plowing the rfield 11S zileft ,,=undis,turbed. Most obnandusuallywithstandcold andwvinter weather so area necessary tq accomplis p the esse I a a v Ifpropose to accomplish thes latter obiect by first, forming. a ;.plant inghole of. an; area...and

de t s ffleient 1 easin t e ste ,s edi -itwo monthsabeforeuplanljng ti e- In de s 40 o tgi n al 611 142 198 t 51 119 e destroy :such objectionable :volunteer vegetation ,q-Af -terithe pnop seed is deposited in the p nting hole the soil rem oxied irr forining theliatjier is pr rab y e urnbdito th sl ti g ,h jle to fi sthe sam' lfhemr ev re i at n e l lam. a field as aforesaid comprises the steps .of

' "m fimumaanda ib h, t'l i zer. in the plantin n e. so l lte'm answ ring the ortion o f th "soil ee re ve- 1511 r i mg P steps of depositing fertilizer and partial returning of the soil removed in forming the planting hole may be dispensed with, and the planting hole formed only of a depth to provide for deposit of the crop seed for its proper germination and then return all the soil removed in forming the planting hole with or without tamping of the returned soil, as desired. However, tamping of the returned soil is preferred since it assures sufficient moisture for the germination of the seed by capillary action during a dry season or a season of meager rainfall.

In practicing my method in the raising of cotton, for example, an area of about /2" wide and 4%" long is sufficient to effect planting of the cotton seed. The disturbance of this relatively small area will stir up some weed seed, but this area will be shaded by the emergence of the cotton foliage and normally prevents any obnoxious vegetation from growing to any damaging extent within this area. However, if desired the crop may be fiame cultivated to destroy obnoxious vegetation growing in this area as soon as the cotton has grown suficiently to permit flame cultivation thereof as described in my patent first above referred to.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the detail description. Now, in order to acquaint those skilled in the art with the manner of practicing and utilizing my invention, I shall describe a preferred embodiment of the method of my invention, and in connection with the accompanying drawings describe a preferred embodiment of a planter constructed in accordance with my invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a planter adapted for use in practicing my present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the planter shown in Figure 1;

' Figure 3 is a chart showing the sequence of planting operations of the planter shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of a portion of the planter shown in Figures 1 and 2 and illustrating the arrangement of parts for effecting the sequence of planting operation illustrated in the chart of Figure 3;

"Figure 5 is a vertical cross sectional view through a completed seed bed provided by the method of my invention;

Figure 6 is an enlarged side elevational view I of a planting unit of the planter of Figure 1 and illustrating in dotted lines portions of cam means provided to actuate the planting unit;

Figure '7 is an end elevational view of the planting unit shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is an enlarged side elevational view I of the planting hole forming means and plunger means of the planting unit of Figure '7; and

Figure 9 is a bottom view of that part of the apparatus shown in Figure 8.

I have chosen for purposes of disclosing a specific embodiment of the method of my invention to describe it with respect to the planting [and cultivation of cotton.

.. The first step of the. preferred practice of the 1 method of my invention follows the present practice of many growers of plowing the field in the fall or early winter season following the growing season of a crop, such as'cotton. This plowing 4 fiat at any given portion thereof. As previously related it is now well known that a field by fall or early winter will have accumulated on its surface a large amount of weed seeds, and the plowing step referred to is effective to infest the ground with these weed seeds. Also, as is known,

Weed seed is quite hardy from the standpoint of cold resistance and a large amount of the seed will survive through the winter or a nongrowing period for the field. In the case of cotton many of the plowed under weed seeds will begin to germinate from the six weeks to two months before normal planting time for the cotton seed. It is during this period when the obnoxious vegetation first appears that I propose as a second step of my invention to indiscriminately bathe the entire field with flames for destroying the obnoxious vegetation. Any suitable flaming apparatus may be provided for this purpose and in this connection the apparatus disclosed in my above mentioned patents can be employed for this purpose. In the apparatus of the patents above mentioned the burners are arranged in a particular manner with respect to each other to accomplish a particular method of flame cultivation of stemmed crops, but it will be understood that for purposes of flaming a field in accordance with my present invention that the burners need not occupy any critical relation or position with respect to each other than that they are preferably so arranged that relatively large areas of the entire field are caused to be flamed indiscriminately by the burners to facilitate as rapidly as possible the destruction of the obnoxious vegetation in the field. However, care should be taken that the apparatus used for flaming of the field does not unduly disturb the soil in that if this occurs other weed seed will be caused to be positioned where it may germinate and interfere with the crop subsequently to be raised in the field. This flaming of the field may be done as many times as necessary to effectively destroy the obnoxious vegetation before planting of the crop seed. Usually one to four flaming treatments of the field are sufiicient to destroy all obnoxious vegetation by the flames by planting time.

The field is now ready for planting of the cotton seed and to achieve the most beneficial results of the aforesaid treatment of the field, planting of the cotton seed should be accomplished with a minimum amount of disturbance to the soil in order that other weed seed will not be brought to a zone of germination.

In the planting of cotton, I propose to place an appropriate number of seeds for each plant, spaced the proper distance from each other in row or drill Without disturbing the soil for each plant in excess of an area of about /2 wide and 4%" long and of the proper depth. The soil in this area will be disturbed and weed seed brought to a germination zone, but this area will be shaded in a short time by the foliage of the cotton plants which normally will prevent the obnoxious vegetation from rowing in this area to any damaging extent to the cotton plants. The soil surrounding the planting area remains undisturbed and clean, and the cotton crop may grow without further cultivation. However, in the event obnoxious vegetation should deleteriously affect the growing cotton crop, the flame cultivation method of my patent first mentioned maybe employed to efiect destruction of such obnoxious vegetation. The prior flaming of the field before planting will enable the crop to attain sufiigem-see oiefit size; Witlioutinterference from such ob noxious vegetation; but shouldit begin to appear the crop will have attained sufiici'ent size to perinitflame cultivating. Also ina very rainy season the prior treatment of the field will enable the eropto grow without being choked until suchtime as thecrop may be flame cultivated to destroy eny- 'undue obnoxiousvegetation; i As disclosed in my patent-last referred to, this step of cultivation of a; cotton crop 'may beeffected by directing dbl-est of'flame upon the ground adjacent the plant tobathe the obnoxious vegetation and the stems of" the standing plantsihila'me andremoviiig the fl-anie after the obnoxious vegetation is im' ured 'andbefore the plants receive substantial lr'ijuryw A further 1 description =of this step of flame cultivation of thecotton crops is not believed fiecessary since it is now-well known in the El -Cw V ln thosesinstances of plantingin which a cover crop -isplowed underprior toplanting of a spring crop;\.'I+pr-efer to flame the fieldinthe manner previously described one or. more times in the interval between plowing under of the cover crop; and the planting of the crop seed. However, if desired,. flaming of the field. may be accom- 'zplishediorthefirst; time at the same time as the .oropaseed is. planted as by flaming the field after deposit ofthe cropseed. This may bereadily aiccomplishedby providing the rear end of the planter with burners of the character described lnwmy aforesaid patents to flame the seed bed and, surrounding ground after its formation by the planter. Also, volunteer vegetation may be destroyed by flaming, of the field after deposit of the cropseed and before it begins to sprout. As before,, whenthe crop has "grown to sufficient size may be flame cultivated as above described fiiinecessary.

; jI't. will thus be observed that the method of my prsentinvention provides for preparation of effield for lantin and the planting of seed in a niannerin which an agricultural, crop maybe turnedto the planting hole. A portion of the soil removed in forming the planting hole is preferably r'etur'ne'd thereto before deposit of the seed in order topr'ovide a spacing of soil between the fertilizer and seed in that most presently know-n fertilizers; if in direct contact with the seed, will pre vent its germination.- The s'eed-isthen deposited in the planting hole. Then after'deposit of the planting seed in the planting hole I propose to retheremainder of the soil removed in forming the} planting hole. It is desirable to have a firm seed bed in order that the capillary action of the .s o'll is restored toinsure suflicient moisture for the germination of the seed in the event of the early planting-season being dry or there being meager rainfall. A firm seed bed is attained by tampi-n'g of the soil after it has been returned to the planting hole. It will be understood that the cotton seed is plantedin rows or drills in-the us'wilma nne'r of planting cotton, and after-the cotton has grown to fairly substantial size'it mayi-inder circumstances, as previously described, be flame cultivated in accordance with my patent first'mentioned herein. i

The last described planting of 'crop seed may be readily accomplished with the apparatus shown in the drawings and which apparatus is the subject matter of my copending application Serial No; 765,433, filed August 1, 1947, now Pat ent No. 2,509,691 issued May 30, 1950, a division of my present application. The apparatus is shown somewhat diagrammatically,- but discloses what I consider to be a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a planter suitable for accomplishing planting of cotton seed, or other suitable crop seed, with a minimum of disturbance to the soil. The planter of my invention comprises a vehicle It) having a main frame I l which at its forward and rearward ends provides for the support of transversely extending axles or sprocket supporting shafts l2 and I3, respectively, which have jou'r naled thereon a number of forward and-rearward sprockets I4 and [5, respectively, about which endless track means l6 and I! are trained providing traction means for the vehicle. The forward end'of the frame I l is provided withdraw bar member l9 by means of which the'vehicle I0 may be hitched to a-tractor or otherwise drawn along the ground. As shown more clearly in Figure- Lone each of the endless track means I 6 and I1 is disposed at either side of the vehicle 10 and each comprises a pair of laterallyspac'ed inner and outer endless tracks 20 and 2-l,-"r"e'- spectively, with each of the endless tracks and 21 being adapted'to be trained over a-pai'r of forward and rearward sprocket wheelsl4 and I5 provided therefor.- A plurality of planting units 23, shown diagrammatically in Figures 1 and 2,- are adapted to be'carried by each ofthe endless track means l6 and ll at either side of the vehicle and are arranged so that they can eifect planting of seed inrows between the spacing of endless tracks 20 and 2| of each of the endless track means l6 and IT at either side of the vehicle. The endless tracks 20 and 2| of the track means [6 and H, are of conventional construction and comprise pivotally connected tread members" 25 with-certain of the treadmembers 25 each being provided with a planting 23. Also, a conventional bogey construction 26 is associated with the vehicle Ill" for maintaining the endless track means l6 and tautin the travel of the tra'cks about the sprockets 1'4 and [5. This conventional bogey construction comprises a plurality of idler wheels 21 rotatably mounted and suitably supported by links 28 pivotally connected to a frame 29 to support the endless track means IB and- H from saggingand to keep the track meansin alignment with the sprockets l4 and F5, as is well known in the art.

' Also, if desired, the planting units 23 may be moving forwardly; As will 156 herinalfill Gigi-1;.

closed in detail it iswhile the planting units-are intheir relatively stationary position with respect tothe ground that the operations necessary to effect planting of the seedare carried out. An essential feature of my invention is in providing a vehicle whereby a planting unit may remain stationary with respect to the ground for a predetermined length of time to effect. planting of seed and not disturb the soil surrounding the immediate planting area, as is the case in prior forms of planters in which there is continuous movement between the planting mechanism and. the ground.

While I have shown a single planting unit as extending the full length of tread member 25, it will be understood that the dimensions of the treads, and of the planting unit may be proportioned so that the planting unit can be adjusted lengthwise of the endless track means [6 and I! to provide for different hill spacings. of plants. Likewise, the dimension of the treads may be suitably proportioned and the planting units 23 associated with certain of the treads to provide a desired spacing of the plants in a row. Also the axles or shafts l2 and I3 at the forward andrearward ends of the vehicle preferably are of' a sufficient length to permit the axial adjustment thereon of the sprockets i4 and I5 so that the endless track means l6 and I1, together with the planting units 23 carried thereby along opposite sides of the vehicle may be brought closer together or spaced further apart to provide the desired distance between adjacent plant rows. The frame [I also provides for support of a fertilizer hopper 30 and a seed hopper 3|.

.It will be understoodthat the endless track means I6 and I! each comprising the pair of endless tracks 20 and 2| are of like construction and the description of my invention hereinafter will be limited to the track means I6 and the association of a planting unit 23 therewith, it being further understood that the several planting units 23 are all of the same construction.

Referring now to Figure 4 it will be observed that the frame member provides for support of a planting unit actuating means 32 which comprises a frame member 33 extending lengthwise of the vehicle, which frame member 33 is disposed parallel with and below the frame member |I between it and the lower run of the endless track means IS. The frame member 33 has a pair of forward and rearward links 34 suitably pivotally mounted in brackets secured thereto and which links at their other ends are pivotally connected to a bar 35 extending lengthwise and forwardly of the vehicle. A second pair of forward and rearward links 36 have pivotal connection to the bar .35 at the pivotal connections of links 34 thereto and the other ends of the links 36 are pivotally connected to brackets fixed to the frame member II of the vehicle It]. A pair of brackets 38 are also secured to the frame member I and each of the brackets38 carries an adjustable stop member 39 for engaging the links 36 for limiting rearward rectilinear movement of bar 35. A pair of coil springs 40 are. suitably connected at their opposite ends to the frame member 33 and the frame member II to normall urge the frame member 33 toward the frame member II. The frame member 33 at its forward and rearward ends is provided with a, pair of slots 42 into which guide arms 43 carried by the frame member I extend for guiding movement of the-frame member 33 vertically relatively of the vehicle. The guide, bars 43 are provided with stops 44 for limiting the upward movement of the frame member 33 by the springs 40. The forward end of the bar 35 has a handle or actuating member 45 ,pivotally connected thereto which extends forwardly of the vehicle. Upon the bar 35 being urged to the right by means of grasping the actuating member 45 in the position of the parts shown in Figure 4, the common pivotal axes of the links 34 and 36 upon the draw bar 35 will be drawn past center after which the springs 40 will be effective to raise the frame member 33 vertically upwardly to a position in which the stops 44 are engaged, which position of the frame member 33 as will be hereinafter described positions the planter actuating mechanism in its inoperative position so that the vehicle may be drawn or moved without actuation of the planting units 23. As shown in Figure 4, the frame member 33 has suitably secured to the under surface thereof a pair of lengthwise extending cam plate members 50 and 5|, the functions and purposes of which will be described in detail hereinafter.

Reference may now be had to Figures 4, 6 and 7 from which it will be seen that the planting unit 23 comprises a funnel means 52 for guiding fertilizer and crop seed into a, planting 'hole to be formed between the spacing of endless tracks 2|] and 2|, which is formed by a pair of funnel members 53 and 54 carried, respectively, by opposed tread members 25 of the endless tracks 20 and 2| of the endless track means IS in opposed relation with respect to each other. The funnel members 53 and 54 are of like construction and are preferably made of sheet metal and each comprises an inclined wall 55 extending diagonally downwardly and inwardly from the upper outer edges thereof to the spacingbetween the endless tracks 28 and 2|, and a pair of end walls 56 extendingdiagonally downwardly and centrally toward each other from the upper end edges of these members. A planting hole forming means is indicated generally at 60 and comprises a vertically reciprocal shovel or hole digging member 6| which for the planting of cotton seed is preferably approximately 4%" in length and A2" in width. The shovel BI is provided with a valve means 62 at its lower end, which valve means will be described in detail hereinafter. A pair of vertically extending rods 63 are threaded at their inner ends into the upper closed end of shovel member 6|. Coil springs 65 are confined between enlarged heads 66 at the upper ends of the rods 63 and a pair of flange members 61 Carried by the pair of spaced shovel supporting frame members 68 to receive therebetween the shovel 6|, which shovel supporting frame members 68 are provided with laterall inwardly ex.- tending flanges 69 which are suitably secured to the track tread 25 of the inner endless track 20 of the track means IS. The frame members 88 provide for support of the planting hole forming means 60 above the space between the pair of spaced endless tracks 20 and 2|. The coil springs 65 normally provide for positioning of the shovel 6| in the position shown in Figures 6 and 7 wherein it is spaced above the ground. The shovel 6| is provided with a pair of ears 10 which as shown more clearly in Figures 8 and 9 provide for guiding of the shovel in its vertical movement by vertically extending guide slots formed in vertical frame members 12 disposed along the vertical end edges of shovel 6| and secured between frame members 68 and backing panel 13. A shovel cam follower 14 is suitably supported adjacent the upper end of the shovel BI and is adapted to be engaged by the shovel control cam for effecting vertical reciprocal movement of the planting hole forming means 50. A plunger means "I5 is mounted for vertical reciprocal movement in the shovel housing BI and comprises an end plate member or piston 16 suitably secured to the lower end of a Vertically extending rod H which at its upper end provides forsupport of a plunger cam follower I8 which is adapted to have engagement with the cam surfaces of the plunger operating cam 50. A .coil spring II is disposed about rod 11 and normally provides for positioningof the plunger means 15 in its uppermost position in which the piston 16 is positioned at the upper end of shovel 6|. A pin- 19 carried by rod 11 extends laterally inwardly of the endless track 20 and serves as a trip arm for causing delivery of fertilizer and crop seed to the funnel means 52 of a planting unit 23. Referring again now to Figures '1, 2 and 4, it will be observed that flexible conduits 88 and 81 extend from the fertilizer hopper 30 and the seed hopper 3|, respectively, to dispenser devices 82 and 83, respectively. The dispenser devices 82 and 83 are of known construction and when tripped are adapted to deliver a predetermined measured amount of fertilizer and seed, respectively; Asshown more clearly in Figure '7, the fertilizer dispenser 82has a discharge conduit 84 extending therefrom, which is adapted to discharge fertilizer into funnel member 53. A shaft 85 extendslaterally outwardly of the dispenser 82' and at its end is formed with a trip arm 88 which when trippedby the pin 19 carried at the upper end of the rod 11' 'actuates the fertilizer dis penser means 82 to effect discharge of fertilizer from the fertilizer hopper 30 through the discharge conduit 84' and into the funnel member 5320f planting unit 23. The seed dispenser unit 83:, like the; fertilizer dispenser unit 82, is provided with a trip arm 90 adapted to be engaged by the pin 19 at the upper end of rod IT to dis- I charge seed into funnel member 53 of the funnel means 52' of a planting unit 23.

Referencemay now be had particularly to Figures 8 and 9' for a description of the valve means 82at: the lower end of the shovel housing 61 of the planting hole forming; means 60' of my in'ven tion.; 'Itwill be observed that valve means 62 comprises a pair of plate valve members 92 and 83; pivotally mounted along their outer side edges about a pair of pins as and 95, respectively, which are supported in spaced? bearing supports 96- formed integrally of the sidewalls. ofthe shovel at their lower ends. Each of the valve members 92 and 93; is alsoformed with spaced bearing supports 9 fitting-l about pins 94 and 95 between the: bearing elements 86 of the-side walls of shovel, 6t, andva pairof coil springs 98" for each valve plate are disposed about. thepins 94 and 95, respectively, between-certain of the spaced: bearing supports-88 and 91 ofthe, shovel and valve. plates. One: of: the ends of" each of the soft springs is= secureda'tol the-valve plate members- 92 and 93 imclips- 9:9 form-ed by spaced" slitsin the valve plates,.-andtheother end-sot the springs are fixed in clips I 80, suitably formed by spaced slits. in the side: walls of the shovel 6.1. The arranger 11118111? of the springs iSr suchthat they normally maintain the valueplates 9'2 and 93 in horizontal position, but providefor swinging thereof in-' wardlv andoutwardly of the shovel 8}, to provide for the; admission of soilinto theishovel-v housing errand; fort-he discharge ofsoilitherefmmv as willmode of operation of my planter.

For purposes of explaining the operation of the planter of my present invention reference may now be had particularly to Figures 3, 4, and 5. After the planter has been brought to the field and it is desired to effect planting of seed, the handle member 45 is urged to the left, as viewed in Figure 4, to effect movement to the left of the bar member 35 to position the planter unit actuating mechanism 32 in the position shown in Figure 4. With the planter unit actuating mechanism 32 in this position it will be observed that as a planting unit 23 assumes a stationary position relative to the ground and during forward movement of the vehicle that the plunger operating cam 5!! and the shovel control cam 5| will engage the cam follower 18 of the plunger actuating means l5, and the cam follower 14 of the planting hole forming means 88, respectively. Thus in stage I, indicated in Figure 3, the cam surface IB'I' of the shovel control cam 5I engages the cam follower M of the planting hole forming means 88 which drives the shovel 8| intothe ground and forms the planting hole I62. During this downward vertical movement of the shovel 6|, the plate valve members 92 and 93 pivot inwardly of the shovel housing to admit the soil to be removed in forming the planting hole, and after the cam follower I4 passes the high point of the cam surface lllI it comes into engagement with the cam surface I83 enabling the pair of coil springs to raise the planting hole formingmeans 88 above the surface of the ground to the position shown in Figure 4. This raising of the shovel 6! is indicated as stage II in the chart of Figure 3. As the shovel (if is being raised from the planting hole I82 the valve plates 92 and 93 are caused to return to their normal horizontal position by tension created in springs 98 by the pivoting inwardly of the valve plates to close the bottom'of the shovel and retain therein the soil removed in forming the planting hole. Now, as the vehicle I8 proceeds to move forwardly the pin 19 carried at the upper end of the plunger rod I1 engages the trip arm 86 causing rotation of the shaft to effect actuation of the fertilizer dis penser 82'to discharge fertilizer through conduit 84 into the funnel means 52 of the planting unit 23 which is caused by the latter to be discharged into the planting hole I02, as illustrated by stage III in Figure 3. Now; as the vehicle proceeds to move forwardly the cam surface I85 of the plung or operating cam 5!].is caused to engage the plunger cam follower I8 carried at the upper end of the plunger rod TI to effect a first stage par; tial discharge of soil in. the shovel 8! into the planting hole I82 and ontop of the fertilizer as indicated by stage IV. After the high point of cam surface I85 passes the .cam follower 18 it returns to the original positionin. engagement with the cam surface I0 5 of the plunger operating cam 50. The downward movement of. the rod 'II causes the end plate or piston 16 of the plunger means to forcesoil in the shovel 8i outwardly through the valve plates 92 and 93. at the lower endthereofl The spring II carried by thecam plunger rod T'I returns the plunger rod l1- and piston lfi lto; the upper position inthe shovel BI and the coil springs 88, which have been tensioned by the-outward pivotalmovem ent 0f the. valve mainder of the soil in the shovel removed in forming the planting hole I02. Thereafter, as indicated by stage V, the pin 19 carried at the upper end of the plunger arm 11 engages the trip arm 90 of the seed dispenser mechanism 83 providing for discharge of seed from seed hopper 3! into the funnel means 52 of the planting unit 23 to effect deposit of seed in the planting hole. Then in the continued forward movement of the vehicle the cam follower 18 is engaged by the cam surface Hi1 of the plunger operating cam 50 to effect the stage VI of the planting operation, which engagement Of the cam surface It! with the follower 18 causes movement of the piston 16 substantially entirely through the shovel 61 to discharge the remainder of the soil into planting hole I02 removed in forming the same. Thereafter in the continued movement of the vehicle the cam surfaces 1 08 and H39 successively engage the cam follower 18, as illustrated by stage VII, to first position the piston 16 at the end of the rod TI substantially even with the edges of the opened valve plates 92 and 93 to firm the soil returned to the planting hole at substantially the level of the ground, with the cam portion I09 being effective for projecting the piston 16 at the end of rod H beyond the edges of the outturned valve plates 92 and 93 to firmly pack or tamp the soil returned to the planting hole, preferably an amount so that the upper surface of the planting hole is slightly below the level of the ground'as shown in Figure of the drawings. After the above sequence of operations have been effected by the several cam surfaces of the shovel control arm 5|, and the plunger operating cam 50, the cam followers 18 and 14 follow the cam portions H2 and H3 of the cams 5i and 50, respectively, to return the planting hole forming means 60 and plunger means 15 to their initial positions. This is indicated at stage VIII of Figure 3. After the planting unit 23, shown in Figure 4, has been actuated through the several stages described above it approaches the rearmost sprocket l5 and again travels thereabout in the forward movement of the vehicle. However, since several planting units 23 are associated with the endless track means It and H, it will be observed that the planting unit actuating means 32 is effective to successively actuate the planting units while the latter are in stationary position relative to the ground and during forward movement of the vehicle.

It will be observed that if desired the outer track sections 2| of the endless track means (6 and I1, together with the funnel members 54 carried thereby and the sprockets M and I5 provided therefor, may be dispensed with if desired in which case the funnel members 53 of each of the planting units 23 would provide for guiding fertilizer and seed into the planting holes.

. In connection with the preparation of the seed bed, it is well understood by those skilled in the art that after a field is plowed and harrowed or otherwise treated to break up the clods of soil for pulverization of the same, with or without packing as by a roller or the like, seeds of volunteer vegetation such as we may call weeds, will start upon the first occasion. Usually, this involves a certain ground temperature, and suificient moisture to stimulate th seed into activity.

Since the volunteer seeds are already present in the soil while it is being worked, they invariably have the first opportunity to sprout and will get ahead of the crop plants the seeds for which necessarily are deposited after the field is prepared. It is desirable in the practice of fiame cultivation that there be a substantial differential between the volunteer vegetation and the crop plants. The above described method of fiaming of the seed bed before, during or after planting the crop seeds is highly desirable and effective to secure a differential of growth between the two types of vegetation.

In the destruction of the volunteer vegetation it is not essential that the entire area be flamed, since the space between the rows is capable of being cultivated mechanically if desired, either before or after the sprouting of the crop seeds. However, the flaming of the row where the crop seeds will be or are planted is an essential feature of this method of preparation of the seed bed.

In the specification, and in the following claims I employ the term flaming to designate the application of heat at sufficiently high temperature to destroy the volunteer vegetation. This may be the application of a naked flame, as above discussed, or it may involve the generation of hot gases by combustion in a chamber designed for efiicient production of combustion and the products at a suitable temperature high enough to perform destruction of the volunteer vegetation may be projected upon the said volunteer vegetation by suitable delivery mechanism which may include blowers, conduits and nozzles. The point is that in such case more efiicient combustion may be carried on in a chamber especially designed for the same than where the naked flame is applied to the relatively cold materials to be destroyed.

Instead of hot dry gases a combination of gases and vapors or of vapor alone may be formed or produced and discharged upon the volunteer vegetation to secure the desired destruction of the same. Heat may be applied in other ways, such as by radiant heat or other means and modes of developing the injurious application of heat to the volunteer vegetation. So far as I am aware, the concept of preparing a seed bed and allowing the volunteer seeds to sprout, and then to be killed off without disturbance of the soil prior to or after planting is a broadly new concept.

Plowing as such is not an essential step in the preparation of the seed bed, but it is a common method of aerating and loosening the soil. The significant feature, so far as concerns the present invention is that it brings within the necessary sprouting distance from the surface additional weed seeds which have been in the soil previously. Any weed seed which comes within about one half inch of the top surface of the soil will sprout and grow into a plant if allowed to do so. Seeds at a greater depth will not sprout, but will await a favorable opportunity to germinate later. It is a part of the inventive concept that the weed seeds which are to be defeated shall not only germinate, but grow to such a size of shoot that if they are killed off the weeds cannot support another start. In other words, the concept is to catch the weed seed at the greatest disadvantage, namely, when it has expended itself in starting a plant which is however small, and peculiarly vulnerable to the application of heat as practiced in the flaming method above described.

While I have disclosed what I consider to be the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that various modifications and rearrangements may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

The method of starting crops planted from 5 seed in a growing season in order to gain an advantage in growth of the crop plants over weeds and other volunteer vegetation which comprises breaking and aerating the top soil and leveling the surface of a tract of ground whereby weed seeds are brought close enough to the surface to germinate, thereafter depositing crop seeds in the said ground in separate hills of small area without substantial disturbance of the soil over the remainder of the area of the tract, and invariably before sprouting of the crop seeds, flaming the surface of the tract to kill the sprouted weeds and other volunteer vegetation over the entire area in which the crop seeds are located, whereby the crop plants gain a growth advantage over weeds and other volunteer vegetation.

PRICE C. McLEMORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 678,468 Harpold July 16, 1901 701,011 Rohmer Sept. 30, 1902 935,546 Pine Sept. 28, 1909 1,226,515 Hicks May 15, 1917 1,901,299 Johnson Mar. 14, 1933 1,956,697 Rognerud May 1, 1934 2,159,652 Brunner May 23, 1939 2,327,204 McLemore Aug. 17, 1943 2,369,154: McLemore N Feb. 13, 194.5 

